Fun tenets of business that can be applied to life

Within the first five years of a small-business venture, about half do not survive, according to the government’s Small Business Administration. And after 10 years, only a third are still around.

“Successful entrepreneurship hits the bull’s eye of the American dream, but most simply do not make it,” says veteran Texas businessman David M. Smith, author of “The Texas Spirit,” (www.TheTexasSpiritBook.com).

“You don’t have to have extravagant wealth or a degree from Harvard to make it; a successful business requires essentially the same thing for a successful life – perspective.”

Smith offers this common denominator for success.

• You cannot win on the defensive in business or any other endeavor. Don’t think in terms of defense; instead, think of counterattack. To take a defensive position on anything means that you have conceded at least some of your position.